This legislation undermines…

This legislation undermines good transportation planning, and I am concerned it will make it more difficult to build bike infrastructure that can reduce the number of deaths and catastrophic injuries on Ontario's roads. It will also put many municipalities’ goals to mitigate climate change at risk.

While it often goes underdiscussed in conversations about traffic and modal share, the reality is that many cycling infrastructure projects are put in as a direct response to tragic accidents and deaths of cyclists on the road. Cyclists are not just statistics – they are beloved family members, colleagues, and community members. This legislation is profoundly disrespectful to thousands of Ontarians whose lives have been profoundly changed by a road accident.

This is a government that claims to want to reduce red tape, and to be strong stewards of taxpayer dollars. If that’s the case, why are they adding layers of bureaucracy to local decisions, and proposing to waste public dollars on ripping out brand new, highly used infrastructure? The data on bike lanes is clear – rather than increasing congestion, they decrease it by providing a safe alternative option.

Ontarians want common sense policies – to get from Point A to Point B safely and securely whether that’s on foot, by bike, by bus, by train, and by car. Bicycles are part of traffic and deserve space on our roads. Municipalities know what their residents are asking for, and it’s safer streets. There’s still time for the province to do the right thing for Ontarians, and to pull back from this outrageous over-reach and withdraw this uninformed and dangerous bill.